home makers insanity

Gah teething..again..to sew or not to sew?

2012-01-28T17:19:00.000Z

We are cutting teeth again in this house, 6 all at once! We have an amber teething bracelet on, which helps a little but my god the dribble. When my eldest was little there was these really cute little triangle shaped bibs that made them look like cowboys! Ive allways fancied making them myself, thought about getting my machine out, printing off a pattern etc, then i stumbled across the world of working from home mums, this lady for example makes currently 5 for just £10, how does that work out cost of electricy, thread, time, material etc? So ive sent her my custom..means i get more free time for knitting! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seaside-sweatshop/369117249768910

and on the plus side wait for it my jumper from the 1920s that ive knitting for almost 2 years is almost finished! Ive joined up with my fitness revoloution where you plede to get healthy, ive currently lost since the night before giving birth to now 43lbs, (i think thats cheating though lol) but i lost 15lbs overnight so maybe ive lost 28lbs? Sadly my clothes are still to tight so really need to get fit now. I have a red dress aka like that what in special k....its just hanging there waiting as motivation! Im also currently sewing a ragdoll and making the clothes from the worn clothes of my children , first clothes etc..tis a slow process! No ones come forward for the comp prize yet so pleaseeeee..check the orignal post thanks!

2012-01-12T11:32:00.003Z

Ive been featured again :D .. check out this ladys website shes got lots of ideas for knitting/crocheting things from recycled items ! http://www.recycledn2yarn.com/

my current recycled project is to make a picture fram from clay and beer bottles not sure if the clay will hold the beer bottle tops so will have to wing it i think! ..

2011-12-23T09:47:00.001Z

YAY! over 15,000 hits on my blog..well more than that as i didn't install the counter straight away opps!..Anyway to celebrate im giving away a bag of pinkness! A chinese style silky brocade pink drawsting handbag, with a preety pink and antique gold finish necklace (not real gold!)..a pink lipstick by avon in colourway carnation and a very preety pink headband, just comment below this post, with a top recycling tip , winners will be drawn on the 12th of January by random generator. U.K only entrys please ..Good luck my friends!

2011-12-15T13:52:00.000Z

Yay at last scrap blanket is finished 600g worth of scrap yarn that most whould have thrown out as it was in small amounts..now just to iron it zzzz ..next another blanket to finish must be done before christmas eeek..

fizzi is finished

2011-11-18T11:18:00.001Z

I love her, made from recycled yarn too! All in aid for this good cause auction to start 3rd december http://www.facebook.com/RaisingHopeforTheHales
now back to my scrap blanket

waldorf style clothes

2011-11-17T16:05:00.001Z

Friend had a request to make her daughters waldorf some clothes i used poppys cardigan from raverly pattern then i used that as a ratio to make some shoes, jumper and trousers apparently they fit perfectly , having seen the pictures i agree too!

2011-11-17T16:00:00.001Z

scrap buster! Another scrap buster im working on its fab i plan on log cabinning around he edges in black. This is all my scrap yarns over 2metres great way to use up some yucky colours too ! only another 28 squares to go..then the making up zzzz ready for my brothers new house at christmas and best of all hasn't cost a penny pattern is from here http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_community_afghan.php

2011-11-17T15:58:00.001Z

So ive started another shawl, seeing as my wips are slowly coming down lol thought i might as well build it back up again im currently using a recycle yarn from another projects and its lovely and sparkly just hope the recipient likes it http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fizzi

Plarn water bottle holder tut..for square bottles

2011-10-05T10:09:00.000+01:00

Eldest son needed a water bottle for school and i wanted something that stood out so it was easy to identify from the other childrens, there was also a challenge on trash to treasures on raverly so heres my entry! Take one large or medium size bottle i used a smaller one as its a perfect size for little people. 4mm hook..and approx 6-10 carriers i perfer the thicker ones but i used both thicker ones and supermarket ones..beware though supermarket ones are usually biodegradable so they wont last much longer than 3 years. if you have never made plarn from plastic bags i used the continual spiral method of cutting there are many others but this is my personal favourite. Heres a quick show of how to do it.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ58E2o83Cw When worked up plarn has a great texture just like raffia. It can be a little harsh on you hands but take it slowly and you will get there. This bottle holder will work up quickly and i made it in about 3 hours. Enjoy 4mm hook..i perfer steel as i found i was worried about wood breaking and plastic stuck to the carriers..you can sprinkle talc on the hook to help it glide but after a while if you use plarn a lot, keep using the same hook and you'll find it gets used to working with it. First we create a granny square base 1.chain 4, s.s to first chain close ring 2.chain 2, 11 htr into ring, ss to top of starting chain 2 to close ring 3.chain 2 (into space between htr), work 2 htr into same space , chain 2 and work 3 htr ..all into same space, *skip 3htr, 3 htr into space between htr chain 2, 3htr all into same space*..continue around and slip stip to top of starting chain 2 4.chain 2 (into space between htr), work 2 htr into same space , chain 2 and work 3 htr ..all into same space, *3 htr into space between the corners, 3 htr, 2 chain 3htr all into each corner space *..continue around ending on 3htr between corners and slip stip to top of starting chain 2 i stopped here as my base was wide enough (it needs to be a tiny bit bigger than the bottle base..but you may need to do extra rounds of row 4) now we work the sides of the bottle 1.chain 2, htr around the post of each stitch.and a htr into each corner and ss to close to top of starting chain 2.this creates a 3d edge this video shows you how to achieve it the video says double crochet this is the same stitch but americans call it double corchet and british call it a half treble so don't be confused! you need to watch at about 2.52m on the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56eTH2LxBWw 2.Chain 2, htr into each space around and ss to starting chain 2 to close 3. Chain 2, htr into each space around and miss one space at each corner to tighten the square back upss to starting chain 2 to close 4.Continue working rows of row 2 until you reach the part when the bottle starts to taper towards the top 5. repeat row 3, 2-4 times depending on size of bottle making sure you can still fit bottle in. (i did 2 rows) fasten off . Now to make handle. Chain as many as you like for the size of handle you wish, my son wanted one that went across his shoulder, then htr into 2nd chain from hook and each chain along , you may wish to do another row here , i only did one. fasten off and attach to main body..voila all done!

mr man is here and so is autumn

2011-09-22T14:10:00.000+01:00

Newest memeber of the avery clan Luke jonathon arrived at 10.09am on the 28th August weighing in at 7lb 15oz , a quick 5 hour labour , born at home without pain relief (well 3 puffs of gas and air) . Best labour yet not bad considering my first son was a clomid baby, induced and then an emergency crash c section, see what you can do if you believe in yourself!..Anyway alls going well breast feedings going good, back into the reusable nappys , having fun with those lol. The weather here has changed to autumn it seems almost overnight..and now i need a baby wearing weather proof poncho. My friends golf brolly broke so she gave it to me and i turned it into this..complete with free gifted fleece and buttons ! Basically i just cut off maybe 6 segments then pinned it to the fleece cut off a small top portion sewed the umbrella part to the fleece , then added buttons and cut the bottom end for a fringe effect. hope you like it , it looks really cute when on!

What exactly can i make out of a felted jumper??

2011-08-18T13:23:00.000+01:00

Ok baby number 3 is due any day now and im getting very craft restless . VERY!! Ive got a terrible case of "startitis". For those not knowledgeable in "startitis" it means starting loads of projects and not finishing restlessness or itchy fingers. Ive spent 3 months getting my craft wips down and now its almsot back to wear it was..and i want to start more! Im going to have to learn how to craft whilst nursing! Anyway i wanted to make something from a jumper i felted on purpose i wanted to make at least one wool soaker, but i managed better than that! I managed a Newborn to size 1 old school wool soaker, an Adult pixie hood/hat and a pair of baby warmers , they took just 1hr to make and all i had left was a small handfull of fabric. If you wanted to make felted wool soakers id recommend purchasing a at has at second hand jumper that has at least 70% wool/animal fibre in it, i found one that was just £1.50. I washed it in with my other clothes on a 40 twice this seemed sufficent to shrink it down enough, ill lanolise the soaker also just to make sure. There my tut..for what i did to achieve the above amount of items. Firstly hooded adult pixie hat and baby legwarmers. My hooded cardi had a band down the v front of the jumper , so all i did was cut down along the length of the band either side of the v neck ..these where to become my ribbons, if you don't have a band on yours you could just cut 7 inch lengths or add some cute contrasting ribbon either side . I then cut out of one top portion of sleeve 3 diffrent sized flowers and added one of the butoons that came on the front of the jumper and sewed it on to the side of the hood..the leg warmers are just the bottom 7/8 inches of the jumper sleeves the ribbed cuff becomes the bottom end and the loser top part becomes the bit that sits on the thighs..hey presto 20 mins of work and 2 darn cute items made

Next The wooly soaker. Basically you can find patterns for free anywhere on the net or you can use one you own and trace around it leaving about 1/2 inch extra either side for allowence.Firstly cut out 2 peices of material the same size..my jumper had ribbing to the bottom of it so i turned the jumper upside down and used this to become the waist of the soaker. I then made a thick pad of material that was made from all the left over lengths of material this is for a central panel in the soaker to use as a booster. The central panel was sewn together all the way around then sewn onto one of the main nappy portions. Onto the same portion i then sewed some thin elastic to the top waist and leg portions. I then over laid the other main nappy section and hemmed all the way around leaving a gap of 2 inches so i could turn the whole nappy inside out hide all the hems. Once that was done i hemmed the open seam, and added two , 4 inch side ties to the top..you could add velcro or poppers to the top if you prefer. Emblish your nappy i you like..and all done!

cornelia

2011-05-11T14:06:00.001+01:00

i found this pattern on raverly http://knitting-and.com/wiki/Leaf_Pattern_for_Half-Square_Shawl, the entire pattern book can be found at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21032 which has pdfs available for download..for free!

I was very excited to see the pattern was from 1846 , i couldnt make head nor tale of the original pattern even though a few people had tried to rewrite it, heres my version of it, after much charting, recharting and rewriting ive made it much simpler, i hope you like it x

I used to original k2tog method of decreasing to make it in keeping with the historical chart. All i did was rewrite the pattern and change the parentheses

to make it more readble and easy to understand I also added a k2 edging before the original starting yo just so there was something to anchor too

3.75 mm needles , 2ply yarn

ALL even rows are as follows k2, yo, purl to last 2 stitches k2

Cast on 3 stitches , knit for 20 rows, turn work on its side and pick up ten stitches along edge and 3 at the bottom cast on edge (6 stitches)

next row k2, (no yo in this row) purl to last 2 stitches , k2

row 1, k2, yo,k2tog, k3, yo,k1,yo,k3,k2tog,k1,k2

row 3, k2, yo, k1, k2tog,k2,yo,k3,yo,k2,k2tog,k2,k2

row 5, k2,yo,k2,k2tog,k1,yo,k5,yo,k1,k2tog,k3,k2

row 7, k2,yo,k3,k2tog,yo,k7,yo,k2tog,k4,k2

row 9, k2,yo,k5,yo,k3,k2tog,k4,yo,k6,k2

row 11, k2, yo,k2tog, *k3, yo,k1,yo,k3,k2tog,**k2tog*k1,k2

row 13, k2, yo, k1, k2tog,*k2,yo,k3,yo,k2,k2tog,**k2tog*k2,k2

row 15, k2,yo,k2,k2tog,*k1,yo,k5,yo,k1,k2tog,**k2tog*k3,k2

row 17, k2,yo,k3,k2tog,*yo,k7,yo,k2tog,**k2tog *k4,k2

row 19, k2,yo,k5,yo,k3,k2tog,k4,*yo,k2tog,yo,k4,k2tog,k3*,yo,**k6,k2

Repeat from rows 11-19 from beginning of row and then repeating sections between * and * then last stitches in row from * to **

repeat as many rows as many times as you like ending on a 20th purl row .cast off with elastic bind off method.

Please do note, as i have totally rewritten this myself at great length this is my own copyright many thanks

scrap blankets..

2011-03-15T18:37:00.000Z

Ok i seem to have a thing for blankets at the moment..i have 4 in wips stages...3 of which are all scrap busters..one is a magic ball blanket..my first magic ball i love it! 1 i started yesterday a 4ply sock yarn left overs blanket..thankfully its only going to be single bed size lol.. and a corchet scrap yarn blanket..the latter is working out beautifully..theres 74 (?) six inch squares with granny squares interspaced with more complex squares..this will then be crocheted around the edge and gifted to my dh for christmas, im hoping to complete most of these blankets before mid august when my new baby son should be making an arrival..still can't get my head around the fact im having another baby..let alone another son..thats son number 3..im going to paint my house pink, going to breed female cats and shop only at monsoon and per una from now on..(if only!)..as i said we are on a complete frugal drive to save for the attic conversion..doing well so far almost 1/5 saved in less than 3 months pay days..yay . We have been so lucky too people giving us clothes for my elder sons , loads of reusable nappys..some baby equipment ..a fridge from freecycle, i will be baby wearing again so no expensive buggy for me, i even managed to win my fav baby carrier on ebay for the snip of £20 with delivery..normally these retail at £70 (?)...anyway i digress..heres my crochet blankets..i love it so far

bananas bread

2011-03-04T11:17:00.000Z

Quite a few variations of this..but this is my fav and easiest, great way to use up over ripe bananas

Preheat oven to gas mark 4

grease and line a 2lb loaf tin

4oz butter

6oz sugar

8oz self raising flour

2 eggs

2/3 medium overripe bananas..mashed up

cream butter and sugar together, add eggs, flour and bananas..bake for about 40 mins or until firm to the touch and golden brown..this needs to be eaten within about 2 days as it is very moist and the bananas might make the cake go off quicker than normal..this isnt normally an issue in my house though!

jeanius quilt topper

2011-03-03T13:07:00.000Z

having saved all of my sons jeans that where too frayed to pass on , an old odd curtain and a worn through sheet that was threadbare in the middle, i made this quilt topper and pillow case for my sons 3rd birthday, theres even a pocket at the top for a teddy or book. Best of all it cost nothing to make, decluttered a black sack full of odd ends of fabric and saved that black sack full going to land fill..win win win!

My fav recipies..

2011-02-28T10:08:00.000Z

Thought id start posting some of my fav recipies..well basically we have some fabby if some what scary news..we are expecting the thump thump thump of little feet again..who said your fertility decreases after 30? So as we live in a 2 bed house..we need to save as much as possible for the attic conversion sheduled for summer 2011 eeek..So have to be as frugal as possible, which includes making, recycling, and managing food wastage..well this week i had a bit of cheese i needed to use up..so i made cheese scones from my great grans recipe..

cheese..or other scones..

8oz self rasing flour

1 level teaspoon of baking powder

2oz marg

1 egg

4oz grated cheese

pinch of mustard powder or white pepper

preheat oven to 425f/220c/gas mark 7..lightly grease a baking tray

rub fat into flour to make bread crumbs texture, add egg and cheese, mix in enough milk to bind it together, turn out onto lighlty floured surface and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into rounds..bake for about 10 mins or until golden brown , allow to cool and demolish!..makes about 12

alternatives..

plain..omit cheese and pepper/mustard and just add 1oz castor sugar

fruit scones..omit cheese and pepper/mustard and add 2/3 oz dried fruit and 1oz castor sugar

ginger and walnut, omit cheese and pepper/mustard add 1oz walnut peices and 1 teaspoon of ginger powder as well as 1 oz sugar

serve the sweet with clotted cream and strawberry jam..yummy x

Bestway 2049 Matinee and bootees

2011-01-20T16:28:00.001Z

I inherited a load of 1940s patterns after as much research as i could do i believe these patterns to be in the public domain to make the pictures large just click and a pop up should come up with a tool for zooming in, this works on ie and crome but im unsure of others ..enjoy!

spider inspired square

2011-01-19T14:08:00.000Z

A couple of lovely ladys mentioned my flower square would make a good spider square whould also make a good crab or squid so i re wrote the flower pattern to make it into a spider , well done ladys (Relodie and j9yammy )

row 1, chain 4, work 7 hrt into first chain ss to join to form a ring

row 2 chain 2, work 1 htr in each stitch around

row 3 chain 3 work one htr in each stitch around this will form a small mound shape

*chain 7, skipping first chain, dc into each chain back down to the dc where you have justed chained from, slip into next dc* continue around unill 8 legs have been formed, fasten off.

change colour, attach to the very top of any leg, *chain 3, ss to top of next petal ensuring the petals lay flat* continue around until all petals have been joined together..i found if i used a bigger hook id need an extra chain between each leg(hope that helps)

row 4 chain 3, 3htr,2 chain 4 htr all into first chain 4 space, *chain 1 4 htr into next chain 4 space, chain 1, (4 htr, 2 chain, 4htr all worked into next chain 4 space)* continue around , working 4 htr chain i in last chain 3 space

following rows, work 4 htr into each chain one space and 4 htr 2 chain 4 htr into each corner 2 chain space until desired width

sew some buttons or embrioder some eyes on

Garden flower square

2011-01-16T09:01:00.000Z

Please do note whenever i post a pattern it is not for you to claim as your own, neither do i give permission for you to use any of my photo graphs . You can use items made from these patterns to sell, or for charity , as long as you give me credit for your works, Many thanks!

The garden flower square

3mm hook, scrap yarn pattern uses english crochet terms

row 1, chain 4, ss to form a ring

row 2, chain 2 (counts as first dc) dc 11 more times into ring, ss to starting chain to form a ring

row 3, change colour, slip into dc, *chain 7, skipping first chain, dc into each chain back down to the dc where you have justed chained from, slip into next dc* continue around unill 12 petals have been formed, fasten off.

row 4, change colour, attach to the very top of any petal, *chain 3, ss to top of next petal ensuring the petals lay flat* continue around until all petals have been joined together..i found if i used a bigger hook id need an extra chain between each petal (hope that helps)

row 5, ss into first chain 3 space, chain 2 (counts as first dc) 4dc into same chain 3 space, *3dc into next chain 3 space*twice 5 dc into next chain 3 space ** continue from * to ** then from *to* once more, ss to starting chain,

row 6, chain 2 (starts as first dc) 1 dc into each dc until you reach the corner 5 dcs, into which work 3dc, then dc into each dc to the next set of 5 dc corner, continue around until all dc have been worked ss to join

row 7, now you can either continue with dc from here or i made this change which you can change to when there is an even amount of dc between each very corner dc .

Row 7, my changes change colour , into corner 3 dc chain 3 (counts as first htr) 1htr, chain 2 , htr all into same corner dc, *skip 2 dc then 2 htr into space between the dc, * continue to corner 3 dc , then 2 htr 2chain 2htr into the same corner dc..continue around ss to join

make as large or small as you like, join them together to make a cute blanket

enjoy!

Historical patterns and some recycling

2011-01-04T09:28:00.000Z

Two pinnys made from a £1 skirt i found at a second hand shop cut into half moon shapes and lace added to the bottom. A 1950s teacosy from pattons, pattern on raverly made using scrap yarn

A fairy outfit made from a second hand girls skirt some material some hula flowers beads second hand fairy wings, lace a hot glue gun , an odd knitting needle 2 hours sewing..and a rather impressed little boy..although its not actually for him..total cost just 80p!

A 1940s patterned bag made entirely of plarn

Bad bad blogger !

2011-01-04T09:17:00.000Z

Sorry its been ages ive been so busy making over christmas ive neglected you! I have plans to design a scrap yarn magic ball blanket, so keep your eye out for that one coming soon, another freebie pattern! I also have some very old patterns i know im ok to share having not found any info about the company on the web , these patterns are over 70 years old so should now be in the public domain, i also feel they need to be preseved , having worked as document restorer and microfilmer for the british libary i know how very very important it is to keep historical documents "alive", im also in contact with a lovely lady from the V&A museum who supplied the wartime knitting patterns on the website , as i have so very many patterns, so am hoping between us we can get my patterns on the V&A but one particular well know company is being a pain in the butt even though these are approaching the 70 year mark haven't been reproduced, the main office burned down and they offically lost these patterns..go figure, you whould think they whould be delighted and its not as if i want any profit from sharing them, oh well there loss!.

CAKE POPS!!

2010-09-26T13:47:00.000+01:00

I entered an online comp that ones of my friends set, basically she makes and sells all things cakey and yummy, the comp was to guess the weight of the cupcake and i was just 1g out, Imagine my suprise and delight that i won a runner up prize of some delicious cake pops, they where wonderful like giant truffles on a stick ! Bannana & peanut and double choc , beautifully packed too, a real delight to recieve, many thanks http://www.facebook.com/#!/angelskitchen you really cheered us all up here!

From tea to bag holder

2010-09-12T13:14:00.001+01:00

i needed something to keep my bags under control they seemed to be mating, id recently taken part in a tea swap and got some beautiful tea bag envelopes that i wanted to keep so i fused them between to sheets of plastic) you know the stuff that you get inside cereal boxes? Then i sewed it into a cylinder shape and crocheted top and bottom decreasing on rows to keep the bags inside and added a crochet handle ..bobs your aunty! i had a jumper that somehow got shrunk in the wash but i loved the colour and didnt want to throw it away but i was way too small so i cut the arms off and made leg warmers the ribbed cuff was perfect fit for my ankles and the wider top meant they stayed put, then i cut up the middle of the jumper and added a ribbon tie either side, making it into a cap sleeve cardi Some old beer bottles i glued some scrunched up felt into a ball inside them and made 2 mini pin cushions and ive saved all all my 1-2 metre long scraps of yarn over the year made crochet circles (yoyos), added some glitter 2 pretty gold bottle caps and some nice coloured buttons and plastic bottle caps a bow and slotted them onto an old wire coat hanger and volia a christmas wreath and you know when you get a plastic bottle such as water and you unscrew the lid? and your left with a little plastic ring left around the neck of the bottle..well who needs curtain rings? these are fab for crocheting around to make mini wreaths just 2 rows of dcs around a chain for a little hanging loop and done!..also christmas cards just punch holes and dc around , and stars made out of plarn (mine was asda bags..just need to add some glitter and good to go!)

At last some recycling pics!

2010-08-15T14:13:00.001+01:00

Okay so i finally finished sanding and stripping the wardrobe i found! Im very pleased with it, and also a pair of my fav trousers that got paint on them which whouldnt wash out so i turned them into a skirt and a bag, although im thinking later on i might turn the skirt into an apron?

umm well what have i been up too?

2010-08-07T08:50:00.000+01:00

Can you guess yet more recycling lol! oh and gardening , crocheting etc etc etc I don't feel ive had much to time to relax! So heres a Quick catch up of my current thingamys! My first proper dye attempt using kool aid done in colours of flowers i saw at our local zoo My dolly i had as a baby mum was going to throw away so i made her new clothes from a 1940s pattern my nanna gave to me and sewed some gifted lace onto the bottom My eldest son graduated from pre school ..sobs! So as a thankyou i adapted this pattern from ravlery into a wall hanging . And i Bought myself a pasta machine..something i wanted for ages having spent an good hour and half trying to figure out what went wrong i made pasta..but then i tried to cook it and it turned to glue lol perhaps fresh pasta is better going into boiling water? Either way i need to research more! I promise there will be more recycling pics to come ! And lastly my two little pixies at the bottom of the garden with the sunflower and carrotts they grew and water themselves